


Patience

by FloweryNamesLover



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 07:48:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18912646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FloweryNamesLover/pseuds/FloweryNamesLover





	Patience

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Hakuouki or anything related to it.**

* * *

"Alright," Chizuru said, breaking the kiss and placing a hand on Kazama's chest."Alright."

Kazama was still smirking as he pulled away, refusing to release her.

Chizuru sighed, the sound a mixture of exasperation and fondness. She ran her fingers through his blonde hair with a faint smile. He moved his hands to the small of her back and pulled her closer.

"You're incorrigible," she told him.

"And you are incredibly pigheaded," he responded.

Sighing again, she bit her lip and rested her hands on his shoulder blades."Kazama-san," she said."If I were to change my mind and tell you to leave me alone and never return, what would you do?"

Kazama snorted."Do not speak of things that will not be happening. I can read you-"

She shook her head."I have no intentions of doing so. I'm just speaking of hypothetical situations. You did tell me that Demons do not lie and we both know lying is not something I excel at. What I want to know is how you would react if I were to reject you right here, right now. You'd recognize my honesty, so tell me what you would do."

Kazama's head snapped up. Their eyes met. His grip on her loosened then tightened afore he answered."I would do precisely as you said. My duties can no longer be avoided by using you to amuse myself, and the fun is especially lessened by the fact that the Shinsengumi are no longer around. If you do not want me, I will leave and seek a bride elsewhere. I have very few options due to how rare female Demons are, particularly pure-blooded ones such as yourself, but I _do_ have them nonetheless. Furthermore, it is pointless to waste time on someone who will not budge. Perhaps if circumstances and my choices were different, I would still pursue you, but rest assured I would let you be and not bother you with my presence again if you sent me away." His serious expression was replaced by another smirk as he inched his face forward."But we both know you will be doing no such thing, so it is not worth worrying about." He frowned."What was that? A test of character?"

"Maybe," she replied, turning her head to the side so his lips touched her cheek instead of her mouth. She giggled at his annoyed growl.

"Chizuru." He grasped her chin and forced her to look at him."Do not tease me."

"Why not?" She asked, tilting her head and widening her eyes in faux innocence."You've teased me plenty of times. It seems only fair that I return the favor." Despite his grasp on her chin, she was able to dodge his attempt at a kiss yet again, this time causing him to kiss thin air.

"Stop that," he grumbled.

She clicked her tongue against her teeth."Make me." She ducked to avoid a third kissing attempt, then slipped out of his arms and spun away from him, laughing all the while. He growled in frustration.

"So this is your idea of giving me a taste of my own medicine?" He asked, crossing his arms. In his own way, he resembled a petulant child. And in a very twisted way, it was endearing.

Scoffing, she also crossed her arms."It is as close to doing so as I can get without losing all sense of morality and sanity." She turned her back to him with a half-hum, half-huff, and watched him from the corner of her eye with the smallest hint of amusement. Her mouth quirked on one side.

Kazama studied her with disbelief and irritation on his face. His eyebrows had risen so high that she had to swallow down a laugh. She partially expected him to rush at her and grab her again, to tease her verbally and physically once more, and she couldn't prevent her cheeks from reddening slightly at the knowledge that she would not have been entirely against him doing that. A sigh spilled from her lips and she ran a hand down her face.

"What am I going to do with you?" She whispered, still audible to him.

Years ago, if someone told her she'd feel any positive emotions for Kazama, she'd be very disturbed. And she imagined that person would be cut down with zero hesitation by the Shinsengumi, especially if Kazama himself had been that person. That would not have surprised her one bit.

"Chizuru." His voice was barely above a whisper. She twisted around to look at him, not sure how to react to the lack of arrogance or any of the frustrating qualities she had come to expect from him since they met and which had become more obvious during their travels together. She wondered if this was a brief facade intended to make her let her guard down so he could return to his previous attitude, yet for some reason, she doubted that possibility.

She completely turned around to give him her full attention, and tilted her head in a show of acknowledgment along with a bit of suspicion. Her arms remained crossed, though not as tightly.

"Do you want me to leave?" His tone was stoic. Her eyes widened, but she swiftly recovered and raised an eyebrow. She leaned forward to study him, and was surprised to see nothing but genuine seriousness on his facial expression and in his body language.

"What happened to you being able to read my thoughts a moment ago?" She asked."And knowing that I would not send you away?"

He opened his mouth, hesitating for a second before responding."I simply want you...to be certain." He looked to the side."It is pointless for me to linger here if you are uncertain."

"You seemed quite confident that I was certain I wished to go with you when you kissed me."

"You seemed like you wished to do exactly that."

"Since when do you care about my wishes? I know you paid me so many unwanted visits to amuse yourself with the Shinsengumi, but you _did_ try to steal me away at some point." She scoffed."You expressed your intentions to take me away for good quite clearly when you came to the Shinsengumi's headquarters hours after Sen and Kimiguki tried to convince me to leave with them. I trust you to keep your promises and while I did see something resembling kindness from you during our journey, that can be explained as you keeping your promise to Sen."

"I promised her I would safely escort you to Edo and long after I had done so, I promised you I would help you reach the Shinsengumi."

Chizuru had no argument to that. She nodded."That you did." She turned halfway so she was not completely looking toward or away from him."I don't love you. There is _something_ here," she put a hand over her heart."But it isn't love. Not that love has ever been your concern when it comes to finding a wife." Her eyes flickered in his direction."Unless that is why you're asking me if you should leave." The narrowing of his eyes was sufficient confirmation."If I tell you to go, you'll do precisely what you explained you'd do if I rejected you?"

"Yes," he replied without hesitation or emotion. She saw a glint of... _something_ in his eyes. It was difficult to assign these types of emotions to Kazama, yet she found it just as hard to deny them.

She turned her back to him again. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tighter around herself."I don't want you to leave. But I'm not ready to swear my life to you. And you care too much about producing an heir to wait-"

Suddenly, he was behind her and grasping her wrists and lowering her arms. Then, his arms were around her and he was holding her like he had after they arrived in Ezo."I have waited this long," he muttered into her ear."I can wait a bit longer." He spoke the second part as if it were an obvious fact that only a fool would fail to realize. Yet she was not vexed by this, instead feeling comforted, which was undoubtedly his intention. Would he mock her if she failed to realize _that_ other obvious fact?

She stood there with his arms around her, all worry about them being spotted having long escaped her mind. He said no more, just tightened his grip on her. The silence seemed to bother him after awhile, though, because he broke it with the smallest indication of hesitation and unease in his voice."I... _care_ for you. You earned my respect over the time we spent together, just as your friends did...and I understand why they cared so much for you as well."

She blinked once, twice, then smiled and grasped his arms."Why?" She asked, her smile not faltering.

"Are you fishing for compliments, woman?"

"I asked a simple question."

"Simple..."

"If only you were capable of blushing."

Kazama snorted."You are a thorn-"

"You are the last person with any right to talk in _that_ category," she stated. She didn't ask if he meant what he said about waiting, knowing he would scoff and reminds her that an honorable Demon did not lie. And she had no reason to ask, because she believed him. Instead, she asked a different question.

"Would your patience be approved of by your clan?"

"I am their leader."

"Leaders can be overthrown, hated-"

"Are you calling me weak?"

"You _know_ that isn't what I'm saying," she snapped."But you're not invincible. And you were so determined to produce an heir-"

"I told you I care for you."

"Is that enough in a world of politics?"

"There is a difference between fulfilling one's duty and enjoying it. I would prefer to have both."

She blinked."I see." Her smile returned."Then, Kazama-san, my answer is yes."

He grinned."I expected as much."

She sighed."Really, what am I going I do with you?" She shrugged him off and turned to face him, adopting a thoughtful pose."I suppose I could start by teaching you just a little bit of humbleness, though that is _much_ easier said than done. It may not even be worth the effort."

"Why, you-"

"Well, at least your sensitivity to anything that even slightly hurts your pride will be amusing."

With a growl, Kazama attempted to grab her, and she barely managed to avoid him in the nick of time. He glared at her and she laughed.

His annoyance faded for a moment."My negative opinion on the Shinsengumi, and on humanity in general, never affected your mindset. Why should it be different with anyone else's opinion?"

Chizuru suppressed a smile, knowing he was right. She glanced to the side, and he took this opportunity to run to her and grab her, pulling her close to him.

"And besides," he added."You said I was incorrigible."

Chizuru hummed."And you said I was pigheaded and have called me stubborn on a number of occasions. And I can also be very patient."

He had no rebuttal to that, not a verbal one anyway, and she did not resist or protest as he leaned in to kiss her once more.


End file.
